I confess it’s a bit hard not to laugh when that aldermanic privilege comes back to bite them in the keister. This concept made much more sense back when Chicago’s wards were more logically drawn, in the sense of basic geometry. Anyone interested in the history of how tortured wards have been over time will enjoy the historic maps at www. alookatcook.com

“The question is whether her blessing will matter if the station is physically in another ward, even though it borders hers. While the City
Council approved the 78 planned development in December, a separate approval is needed to add the CTA station.

Typically, the City Council approves plans for projects only when the alderman governing its ward backs the proposal, a longstanding but often controversial tradition known as aldermanic privilege.”

david vartanoff

Perhaps Alderman Dowell should contemplate lack of water, sewer, electric, gas utilities for her precinct. Transit is an amenity which enhances the value of adjacent buildings be they homes, offices, factories, medical facilities, etc. Expanding transit options increases the travel freedom of the residents.

Tooscrapps

To be honest, I kind of read the objections as “we don’t want ‘others’ to have access to our neighborhood”. There are many folks in the City who believe that the CTA is nothing but a gateway for criminals.

Carter O’Brien

There are, but that mindset has plenty of basis in reality, unfortunately. Of course refusing an L stop is the societal-scaled version of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face, but the honest discussion just isn’t happening regarding what to do about it, so it’s hard to blame people for connecting the CTA with crime when that’s what they see reported in the news. And worse, the news outlets seem to intentionally bury such stories under some misguided idea that it’s bad for tourism and property values. But it’s not the perception of crime that’s the problem – it’s the crime. Where I grew up it was often hate crime, with a***holes coming in from other neighborhoods specifically to prey on the gay/runaway community, in addition to the easy pickings of people leaving 4am bars and not having a lick of street sense. And isn’t new, although it comes and goes in waves: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-11-08-9811080207-story.html

Years ago the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce made a big stink after the Guardian Angels offered to get an office and help maintain a presence on the Belmont Red-Brown-Purple Line stop after a crime surge back in the early Aughts, so they said fine, and didn’t. I believe the delusional sentiments expressed were something like “We think the Guardian Angels will send a bad message that the area isn’t safe.” And guess what – that hasn’t helped anything. I won’t post to the 8 zillion examples of crime happening around the Belmont stop by people who live nowhere near the area, but it is 100% a reality, you can go to the Crime in Wrigleyville and Boystown blog for the nitty gritty.

Tooscrapps

Oh, I know all about Hellmont.

I also see plenty of stories of people in cars robbing and assaulting folks as well. Guess we need to close the streets too!

Carter O’Brien

That’s exactly the flippant kind of response that doesn’t help anything, but thanks for playing.

Tooscrapps

Get off the mount already.

We shouldn’t be willing to seal off our neighborhoods from transit because of bad actors. Obviously we need better enforcement around stations with 24-hour service. Plenty of crime in Lakeview comes from people in cars and you don’t see people saying that we should shut down the streets.

Carter O’Brien

Strawman argument. I neither said we should shut down the streets,nor the CTA. What I said was that not acknowledging (and allaying) fears grounded in fact about CTA stations doesn’t help build support for a new ones. I grew up by the Belmont stop in question, and I’d laugh you or anyone out of the room who suggested closing it down would be a wise crime prevention strategy.